Silent Offender
by The Four Minds
Summary: When a muntant calling himself the Guardian spots the Pack girls out on a stroll, he believes he has found the key to his sucsess.
1. First Encounter

And here's the next installment of the Pack stories. Miss all the reviews, but oh well.

Silent Offender

chapter one: First Encounter

summary: What happens when a vampiric mutant takes notice of the Pack girls, and has an old score to settle with his "caring" uncle.

It was a warm Saturday and the ladies of the Pack were out on the town. Having ditched the boys for some girl time, the ladies decided on a movie that night. The movie, a romantic love story, ended and the five friends exited with the other patrons.

"Wasn't that movie just the best?" Irona asked as she skipped about down the sidewalk leading away from the theater.

"Yes. I love romance stories. They're my favorite. They just always end so right," Morgana stated not far behind the prancing Pixie.

"I thought it was dull," the youngest of the group added.

"Shadow," Illya scoffed, "Is there any feminine genes in your body?"

"Nope. They've been bred out," she answered, then added, "Literately."

"Gals," Gabby, the newest of the girls, beckoned from across the street where she stood next to a building.

"What is it, Gabby?" Morgana asked leading the others across the busy night street.

"I'm no expert, but that doesn't look like it's meant to be that way," Gabby said pointing to the side door of the building, a museum, that was ajar. The lock had been cut and the camera that was aimed at the door smashed.

"Whoever did this is new to the craft," Shadow retorted, "or in a big hurry. I don't know of anyone who is dumb enough to pull a stunt like this with such shabby work."

"Someone down on their luck? An angry mutant?" Illya suggested.

"Or a power hungry one," Morgana added. "Either way I think we should have a look at the building, don't you?" She eyed each of the girls in turn. "Shadow, can you get the rest of the securities off line from out here? The last thing we need is more bad press."

"And break the rules? That would be wrong!" Shadow mocked. Quickly, she rose up to the camera "borrowing" Morgana's gift of flight. "This won't be a problem." She touched two live wires together, shorting out the whole system. She gave the thumbs up for the girls to go inside.

Once in, the girls choose to split up to cover more ground. Morgana went into the first wing which consisted of the dinosaur exhibit. Shadow and Irona went into the History of Airplanes and Automobiles wing while Gabby took the WWII exhibit. That left Illya to check out the Egyptian wing.

'_How fitting,'_ Saber thought as she crept down the middle walkway without making a sound. She loved being a cat with all her special feline abilities. No one could hear her coming unless she announced her presence, though sometimes Sean might come close with his animal like senses. With her keen ears she picked up the sound of a glass cutter scoring one of the vulnerable display cases not far off. Quinn and Shadow had taught them to identify by sight and sound the different tools used in burglaries. She rounded the corner of the display of Bashet the cat goddess of Egypt and nearly into the thief.

He was lean, but muscularly built. Dressed in a black button down shirt and black pants his long dark hair hung loose down to his chin, blending into its background to where Illya couldn't quite catch where hair ended and shirt began. The way he just stood there, staring down at her, demanded power. He reached into the display case and pulled out a carving of Horace. When he turned again to meet her gaze, his eyes were a sparkling maroon hue and filled with mystery and intrigue, and possibly danger.

Saber couldn't take her eyes away from his strikingly handsome face, not even to make a sound for help. She was awe struck. This man was the definition of beauty. And then he smiled at her. A dashing, perfectly white smile that captured the very woman in her. She knew, consciously, she needed help, and tried to work her mouth so that it would form the words, but it remained refutably open.

He reached out and gently placed two gloved fingers on her lips, and now they closed willingly. "Shh..." he whispered caressingly. "Not a sound. You never saw me." With that, he backed up, bowed low to her and walked into the darkness filling the museum. Saber juststood there, watching the spot he had just filled, trying to make sense of what had just happened. A footstep coming behind her caught her attention.

"Did you see anyone, Illya?" Morgana asked pulling her from her pondering.

"No," she quickly stated. "But a case in here is open. We must have missed however got in."

"Well," Nature sighed, "Maybe one of the younger girls has turned up something." The two oldest of the ladies left this wing to find the others and any clues they might have found.

The dark man known to few as Damian Chase and to even fewer as the Guardian, stood on the roof watching, waiting for her to come out. He loved this game, testing the best system this city used. All the gain the funds he needed to hire the right kind of mercenaries. So that he may have his revenge. The lovely white skinned woman had come upon him with out him realizing it. Had she sensed him and hunted him down from the street? Was there more to her than just the looks of a cat? Could she poses the powers equal to her familiar? Could she have other powers? All these thoughts ran rampant through his mind until one put a stop to all others. She had nearly caught him, and would have turned in him had she the chance. Thankfully, his own gift, that of immeasurable charm over all women, had saved him this time. Had enabled him to cloud her mind and stop her from calling out. Did that mean she had others with her? Could she work here and he not have spotted her during his casing of the building? It was possible. He was not the best thief in the city. But this woman, with her silent feet and cat-like abilities, would make an excellent thief, had she the right mentor.

He spotted her coming out of the building as if she also had not been there after hours. Surprisingly, she was not alone. Four other ladies were with her. They also had exited the museum. The five joined up on the sidewalk across the street, spoke to each other for a minute, then started walking away, together.

'_Perfect!'_ he thought. Not only was the kitty a mutant, but she had four other friends who possibly were as well. And they were all females! He knew luck must be on his side today to come across a find like this. Five women he could control, who all probably had mutant powers. He would not need to steal any longer to be able to buy his mercs. Fate had given five to him.

He studied the quintet, following by way of rooftop, always keeping out of sight. Two appeared to be just in or just past twenty. The shorter of the pair, and of the group, bounded around the others completely full of energy. The youngest of the five hung back further from the rest. A loner. One with fiery red hair, just as fuzzy as kitty, looked as if she had walked right out of the Eternal Inferno. Absently he wondered if she could control Perdition's flames. But for looking like something out of a horror movie she was very calm about it. Muck like how kitty didn't seem to be bothered by being "different". His charm had worn off her, however, but showed no lasting effects. Either she didn't remember him or she was choosing not to tell her companions.

The last of the group was a earth toned woman around the same age as kitty. This one carried herself with pride and dignity. Slenderly built, the tight-fitting spaghetti shirt she wore exposed the wiry muscles hide beneath the prefect form. From the look of her, Damian knew she had to a Native of some king, but what tribe he didn't know; but obviously she was the leader of this group. All the others addressed her, even the loner. She was always watching her surroundings, apparently ready if anything were to attack one of her girls. If there was danger she would be the one the others turned to for orders or guidance. If only he could harness that quality for his own use.

They were all beautiful in their own unique ways. He continued to follow them to a large seven passenger blazer, where kitty got in behind the wheel. Ironically, he had left his Ninja near where they had parked. With his lights off, he continued to follow them from the city to a large mansion in the countryside. They blazer came to a stop and all five got out and entered through the large double doors. _'Even better,'_ he thought, _'They all live together. This night is becoming too promising.'_ His plans had just dramatically, and defiantly for the better.

End chapter 1 of the new story. The Four Minds would like to take this time to apologize to all of our readers. We have recently discovered that after the first story, our series has taken more of a turn towards all 'fluff'. We think we just got too caught up in developing our characters. While we feel we've done that we have also neglected any and all action in the stories. Maybe we just know our characters too well and forget to write it in. We have a few stories that have been written though not posted that do not have as much action. As they are being typed we will try to add as much action as the story itself will allow, and promise to include more action into our series. We hope to gain our readers back, and look forward to receiving your reviews. Thanks!


	2. First Watch

And here's chapter two. sorry this is taking so long, i (wolfsong) only get song long on the computer. thanks for the review(s). glad to see people starting to get back into it. if you are confused by not knowing the characters, please go back and read the first story "the hope diamond scandal" that't where it all started. thanks again, and keep reading!

Silent Offender chapter two: First Watch

The Four Minds

The next day the Pack and the X-men decided to get together to play a fun game of baseball, one team versus the other. It would also let them take a break from training for a bit. So far the score was tied with it being the Pack's turn to bat.

"Who's up first?" Luke asked Alex from their makeshift dugout.

"Let's put Irona up fourth, Darian is second, Sean will be first, you, Luke, third and follow with Morgana, Shadow, Illya, Gabby and Me," their leader, and for now, captain, answered looking at a chart attached to his clipboard.

"Okay," the group announced finding the order sound. While the first three positions were filled with the guys, all five of the girls sat down on the bench and waited their turn. Every couple of seconds Shadow would turn her head and look behind them.

"Umm, Shadow," Morgana implored noticing this. "What are you doing? Is something wrong?"

"Do you ever get the feeling like you're being watched?" Shadow replied again turning to look over her shoulder.

"You have that feeling too?" Pixie questioned in astonishment. "I've had it since we came out of that museum last night."

"Gabby?" Morgana asked, wondering if she had as well. They all watched as Demoness confirmed it by shaking her head.

"Pixie!" Alex yelled for the third time. "You're up!"

"Oh, sorry," the small girl replied as she grabbed a bat her size and stepped up to the plate.

"Stop gossiping and focus on the game," Luke criticized in an overly serious voice as Irona walked past him. "I just got a home run and you never saw it!" She hit him in the knee with her bat and walked on. The rest of the girls watched Pixie step up to the plate and then went back to their discussion.

"I think maybe we are just a bit on edge because of that break in last night and hopefully it's nothing more." Morgana took another bat more her size and a helmet before going on deck.

"Ya, I guess she could be right," Shadow conceded looking over her shoulder one last time. The game roared on with only slight changes in scores.

It ended only because Gambit thought it would be funny to throw a charged ball on his turn to pitch. That had been their _last_ ball they had brought with them. The other three had been lost when Sean and Irona had batted and the last had been sliced to pieces by Logan's claws. The two teams shock hands and walked back towards the mansion in friendly sportsmanship.

"That was fun! We should do this more often," Jubilee stated entering through the double doors.

"We would if stiff over there would let us off," Pixie complained.

"Well, there is nothing like a jolly good game of cricket in my book," Dodger stated cheerfully.

"Dodger, you're in America," Shadow chastised loudly. "Act like it!"

"Well, little missy, I'ma sure gonna try," he retorted in the worst hillbilly accent anyone had ever heard.

"Oh, ha ha ha ," Shadow laughed sarcastically. "That was so funny. I'm busting a gut over here!"

"I'd like to think so." He just grinned at her. Shadow just rolled her eyes in return.

"Come on you two. Let's go get cleaned up for super," Morgana called back to them over Alex's shoulder. The two had fallen well behind the group.

"Yes, Mother!" Shadow snapped after her before starting up the stairs.

"Kids," Morgana muttered shaking her head as she and Alex headed to the kitchen.

It wasn't hard to find the girls' room once he had made it onto the property. They all slept on the same side of the mansion on the same level. Better yet, their men slept on the opposite side of the building. Kitty had the room all the way at one end with a drain pipe attached to the wall right outside the window. Damian was up and in the room with no problems what so ever. The kitty was all curled up under her large covers sleeping soundly. _'Now what was her name?'_ he thought to himself as he looked around the room. On her night stand there was a picture of her and the raspberry fellow that had been playing ball with her this afternoon. He had watched them throughout the whole game. Oh, yes, he had watched them _all_! There also was a picture of an older couple, perhaps her parents though she looked nothing like either.

Then there was a book lying face down that had been read through half way. Curious, he picked it up and thumbed through the pages. It was in Russian, which explained the accent and larger throw cover on a nice night. Charming this one, he knew, wouldn't be much of a problem or a task. He had done it once before. She started to stir and rolled over in bed, opening her eyes slightly. Knowing she could possibly see well in the dark, Damian quickly ran his fingers down her check, starting his charm on her.

"Shh..." he cooed. "Go back to sleep, my sweet." She obeyed without realizing it. Yawning she laid back and nodded off to sleep.

End chapter two. What do you think? Doesn't he sound dreamy, or at least dangerous? What would you do if a gorgeous man climbed into your window and charmed you? Nothing, fool, you're under his control! Ha, sorry. Bye!


	3. A Haunted Demon

And here's chapter three.

Silent Offender chapter three: A Haunted Demon

The Four Minds

The next morning everyone went about their day, casually talking about the game and the possible outcome if it had continued. Manny, who had not got to play, had been begging Hank and the professor to let him go outside and get some fresh air. Finally they accepted, compromising that Gabby go with him. She didn't hesitate a moment in accepting. The two met up in the foyer where Hank, who had escorted him, left Manny in her fiery yet capable hands.

Dressed casually in a pair of grey sweat pants marked with an "X" logo on the left thigh and a long sleeve pullover, most of his skin was covered, making Manny feel like a mummy. He had even borrowed a pair of black gloves, whether from Remy of Alex she didn't know. But they looked some what natural on him. He took her three fingered hand in his and they walked out together.

Later on they found themselves walking along the path towards the Japanese gardens, hand in hand. She had constantly looked over her should since they had left the mansion and was doing so now. He noticed and said something this time.

"What's wrong, Gabriel?" he asked softly.

"I don't know," she admitted softly. "It feels like...like someone's watching me. Us."

"Angels," Manny assured. "Guardian angels," he added brushing it off.

"No," she began. "Something...not good. Almost...evil." He looked around at hearing that.

"Don't worry, honey, I'll take care of you." She turned at that.

"You're the one who's been in the hospital bed. And I can take care of myself." She smiled sardonically. "And 'honey'? What's that about?"

"I don't know," he admitted ashamedly. "Didn't realize I had said that out loud." He looked down to her and saw the worry still there. Softly, he spoke again. "Perhaps we should go in. McCoy doesn't want me far from his sights." She excepted this, and still holding hands, they headed back to the mansion.

Hidden secretly in the top of a large oak tree, he watched. Damian watched as the demon girl walked hand in hand with the white haired man. They were comfortable, companionable. He could tell there wasn't a "relationship" started. If she was anything like how she looked, she would come in handy indeed. Having a demon on his side could be very handy. He continued to watch as they walked in the front door. He planned to come back tonight. He wanted to watch each of these girls. Learn what made them tick. He would get what he wanted. They would be his for always. A fleet of mutant women with him, he could have anything his wicked heart desired.

That night, after a long training session with Scott and spending more time with Manny, Gabby was tired, dreadfully. She had taken her shower early, hoping to have more time to read her daily devotional. While reading the first page her eyelids had felt heavy, causing her to put the book up early. Now as she waited for sleep she felt restless, tossing and turning every five minutes. Her soft, sweet dreams of hanging out with the Pack, her family and spending warm Sunday afternoons with Manny were interrupted by dark dreams of shadowy figures chasing her.

She woke, startled, looking at every corner of the room. Her eyes rested on a dark spot, darker than the rest. It moved closer. She pressed herself against the headboard, and started repeating the 23rd Psalms.

"Shh..." the dark shadow insisted, still coming closer. It stopped beside the bed and that's when she noticed the deep maroon eyes and pale skin. "There be no demons save you in here, my child," he declared softly, reaching out and placing a hand on her forehead. He eased her back down onto the bed. "Just sleep," and she did, coiling into her blankets.

stay tuned for chapter four


	4. Two Thieves

Silent Offender chapter four: Two Thieves

Author: The Four Minds

In the morning Gabby said nothing of the encounter with the dark stranger in her bedroom, nor did Illya. Both thought it was a dream brought on by paranoia even thought they couldn't explain how things in their rooms kept getting misplaced or moved.

"Have you seen my favorite book?" Illya asked the girls as they walked down to breakfast. They all shook their heads. "Hmm, must have left it in Sean's room."

"Speaking of missing things," Shadow chimed in, "Have you seen a bracelet of mine?"

"I didn't know you had any bracelets, Shadow. What does it look like?" Morgana asked.

"It's a silver link chain. It has a charm with and "AG" in the middle."

"'Ag'? What does that stand for?" Illya questioned, curious.

"Nothing important really. Just let me know if you find it, okay?" Shadow huffed out before walking off.

"What was that all about?" Gabby asked watching her leave.

"Who knows, it is Shadow," Irona concluded.

Shadow walked near the gate on top of the high wall, performing small flips as though she were on a balance beam. Even though she had given up thievery for the time being, she still like to keep her skills honed. She was mid back flip, however, when some one called out to her.

"Hey you up there!" the voice screamed again. Shadow nearly fell but managed to regain her balance. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," the voice, male and seductive, called again. Shadow looked to the man from where the voice had come from. He flipped his dark hair out of his sunglasses covered eyes. He wore dark jeans and a white T-shirt with black leather jacket on this cool morning, and Shadow couldn't help but notice that he was well built and good looking.

"Yes?" she called down to him, now sitting where she had been standing on top of the wall.

He smiled a crocked smile. "I was wondering if you could help me. You see, I locked my keys in my car and I don't have a spare on me. I was hoping you could help, maybe call a locksmith or something?"

Shadow dropped from her perch to land in front of the handsome stranger. He was much taller than he appeared from the wall. "Yeah, I can help," she said smugly. "Where's your car?" He pointed to a black sports car. She walked towards it.

"Don't you need a coat hanger of a phone to call the locksmith?" the man asked innocently.

Shadow just laughed and pulled two pins from her brown hair. She knelt next to the door, bent one of the pins, and placed it into the driver side door. A few clicks and a twist of her wrist later, the door opened. "Ta da!" Shadow exclaimed, never having doubted herself.

"Wow!" he stated acting surprised. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Umm...I just picked it up somewhere," she hesitated.

"Well, thanks," he said nodding his head. He climbed into the car and shut the door. Shadow, feeling good about herself, disappeared over the wall.

She had been much better than he had thought. Damian pulled a bracelet out of his pocket and ran his thumb over the embossed AG on the charm. He smiled. A lot better than she let on. He knew the meaning of this symbol. He replaced his prize then reached below the steering column and pulled some wires loose. Touching the right two together, he started the engine and drove off in his new toy.

It wasn't hard to get into this girl's room. From some reason he would soon know, she slept with the window open. Maybe it was claustrophobia, or maybe she didn't like being caged. Either way, he could use that to control this young thief if she got out of step. Of the group, she seemed to be the most likely to disobey orders, but at least he would have some kind of leash on her.

Now as it was, she seemed peaceful, lying in bed with the growing panther cub curled up next to her. There wasn't much in this room to personalize it. Meaning she was either used to moving from place to place, or she was used to not having anything. The few items she had, the scattered pieces of jewelry, a stunning dagger with playing cards and jewels inlaid to the handle and "Shadow" engraved on the blade, lay on the night stand.

"Must be a nickname," he whispered softly, pulling out the small bracelet. It didn't belong with the others, but was obviously important. He replaced it in his pocket and viewed the other objects. A deck of cards, multi-tooled knife; all laying in front of two picture frames, one a picture of the girls. His girls, he thought. The other, her and the British man she always hung around. He would have to watch this man. He would no doubt protect what he thought was his.

Slowly, Damian climbed back out te window taking one last look at his brown haired thief. She would be a prize indeed.

End chapter four. 5 (The Kiss of a Pale Man) coming.


	5. Kiss of a Pale Man

And here's the next chapter.

Silent Offenderchapter five: The Kiss of a Pale Manby: The Four Minds

The next morning the Pack had an early training session with Logan and Scott. Shadow, Pixie and Morgana had to pick up the slack because both Illya and Gabby were too tired. They had explained they hadn't been sleeping well. Sean had tried to coax Illya to tell him what was wrong, but she only shrugged it off, saying she wished to nap like a normal cat.

After training both stumbled to go back to bed, Shadow disappearing as well. The trio of currently single men, Sean, Dodger and Luke decided to go work on a car that had broken down. Quinn and Morgana opted to take a stroll in the gardens. The others wouldn't need them for a while.

"Do you think Illya's okay?" Quinn asked of Morgana as they padded down the path.

"She has been acting kind of strange lately, but I'm sure she'll be fine, Alex. I take it Sean is worried about her." He nodded slightly, his right arm resting gently around her waist. "Besides, it's not like we lead a stressful life or anything," she teased.

He took both of her hands in his and turned to face her. "And what about you? Is your life stressful?"

"No, not for the moment. Everything seems to stand still when I'm with you, thief."

"Morgana, you know I would stop time itself for you if I could, if that's what you wanted." She just stared up at him, loving this man. "I've been wondering something, Morgana, and I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes?" she asked looking deeper into his green eyes, her body melting against his.

"I wanted to know if you would..."

He was interrupted by the loud whiney of a horse in distress. Morgana instantly turned her attention to the cry. Quinn released a soft, agitated sigh as she dropped his hands.

"What the devil does she think she's doing!" Quinn followed her gaze to see what she was referring to. In the field not far from them, Shadow was hanging onto Morgana's new stallion. The horse, however, was not a fan of his new rider, and was bucking wildly to try and dislodge her. Morgana immediately bolted down the path and after them using her control over the wind to carry her faster than her feet.

"Damn that girl," Quinn muttered under his breathe before taking after Morgana on foot. When he was on the field and in range, he charge a small ball of electricity and flung it at Shadow. The orb nailed Shadow in the shoulder, knocking her off. Morgana went after Ravus, completely ignoring Shadow. Quinn waled over to the younger thief, who had just turned over on the grass with a soft "ouch". She stood and faced Quinn.

"Why did you do that?" she asked holding her abused arm.

"Last I checked, that was not your horse. You have no right to be riding him, unless you have Morgana's permission." Shadow was going to smart back to him, but didn't when she saw how angry he was. He let out another heavy sigh and raced after Morgana. Shadow just stood nursing a sore shoulder and rump.

Morgana had caught up to the horse and noticed a strange man standing near Ravus, stroking his neck gently. He was tall and handsome, though he looked a little pale, but the maroon eyes and dark hair stood out against the pale background. There was a certain air about him that made Morgana think of certain danger, yet drew her to him. Pulling her eyes away from his, she was finally able to speak.

"Step away from my horse," she demanded, walking over to Ravus.

"Sorry, m'lady. He is...such a fine creature," the man commented in a slow drawl.

"Yes. What are you doing here? You do not belong on this land."

"I was just passing through, love, and came upon this beautiful stallion. What be his name?"

"That doesn't matter," she returned coldly, liking this man less as seconds passed.

"No, I guess it doesn't," he said stepping closer to her. He was nearly standing over her now.

"Who are you?" Morgana asked in a softer tone.

"That doesn't matter either, love." He started backing away.

"Where are you going?" she asked as he almost disappeared.

"Don't worry," he replied, "I'm always watching." He was gone. Morgana stared to the spot where he had just been. Her head felt so full she shook it. When she did, she came out of the daze in time to feel Quinn place his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay, Morgana, love?"

"Yeah," she answered slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Ravus is fine too." Alex was a little stunned but didn't let it show.

"Well, let's get him back to the stables and get him calmed down," he suggested as they walked back, each on opposite sides of the horse.

He watched as the dark skinned girl walked away, leading her magnificent steed. The man beside her seemed wary, even cautious. He never took his eyes off her. Damian could tell this man would fight to keep the woman he obviously loved. If it came to that fight, Damian knew that the green eyed thief would have an advantage. Not only did he not appear to have the leashed power he possessed or the strong and well controlled electric mutant power, he would be fight for love. A much deadlier opponent. But that wouldn't stop Damian Chase. He would get what he wanted. He always did.

That night Morgana was having difficulties sleeping. Her concern for Ravus and the appearance of the pale skinned man only added to the guilt she felt for yelling at Shadow when they had returned, warning her to never got the horse out without permission. She had raised her voice loud enough to cause a commotion. Looking back now, she found no reason why she had lashed out the way she had. She felt horrible. Sitting up, she looked around her room. Her gaze settled on the vanity. She climbed to her feet and padded over. Pictures of happy faces during happy times. She smiled as she looked at them.

Something moved. A shadow, dark against the darkness, passed behind her. She caught the reflection in the mirror, quickly standing she had to be ready to fight, to protect herself and the others. The shadow moved closer.

"No need for that, love," the shadow said.

"Alex?" she asked though she knew it wasn't his voice.

"No. Not Alex. Damian. I've come to rescue you, my princess." As he came closer, Morgana saw that it was the pale man from the woods. She wanted to move, to get away from this...man. She wanted to run to Alex, but she couldn't move. Couldn't feel her legs beneath her. He was moving closer. Now he was standing over her, towering, in fact, over her. His hands were holding her arms at the elbow and her eyes were locked onto his maroon ones. Though he wasn't moving he was still growing nearer. Soon his death pale lips were brushing hers and she was lost in the kiss. When next she opened her eyes, she found herself seated on the edge of her bed, completely alone.

Shadow had decided to sit out on her balcony to get some fresh air that night. She didn't care that Morgana had yelled at her. She'd been yelled at her entire life. She did feel somewhat bad that Morgana felt so miserable. She didn't understand the woman. She had had every right to yell at her. She would have done the same thing if it had been Morgana to take her horse. "I'm getting soft," she whispered, the comment coming from nowhere.

Suddenly she heard a sound coming from her right side. She turned in time to see someone climbing out of Morgana's room window. "Quinn?" she called out and followed him to the ground. "Quinn, what are you doing?" she asked quietly. The body turned around and all Shadow could see was a flash of maroon eyes as the man came towards her. Quickly he pulled her into his embrace, trapping her mouth with his. Shadow started, the settled as the kiss lingered. That would be the last thing she remembered before falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.

End chapter five. Six (Another Challenge) is next, so stay tuned.


	6. Another Challenge

And here's the next installment. My doc has me (Wolfsong) off my feet for a second week and I'm starting to get bored. Enjoy!

Silent Offender chapter six: Another Challenge by: The Four Minds.

"Hey, Pixie, wait up!" Shadow called out, running up to where Irona had stopped. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk," she explained in a huff as she glared back at the mansion. It was the next day and even though she had woken up outside, Shadow was busy trying to keep herself occupied.

"What you so mad about?" she ventured as she watched the shorter woman's eyes change from blue to purple repeatedly.

"Nothing," came her reply.

"Oh, okay...So what did Luke do this time?" Shadow asked now understanding.

"He went...way too far. Now, if you'll excuse me." Turning, Pixie started towards the woods surrounding the mansion, leaving Shadow to watch her with curiosity.

'_Hmm, so this one has a temper,' _Damian thought as he watched Irona walk towards him. _'She'll be a good fighter.'_ Stepping closer to the tree, he stayed well hidden in the limbs. _'Now, if I could just figure out her power...'_ As if on cue, Pixie walked up to a tree and hit it, causing it to splinter and fall over.

"Ah, she has strength to make up for her height," he whispered allowed. The woman's head whirled in his direction, and he noticed that her eyes were changing colors.

"Who's there?" she asked as her eyebrows drew together in a frown. Before she could pursue the noise, another man came running up.

"Irona, I'm sorry," he said with an apologetic gesture.

"If you were so sorry, this wouldn't happen again," she snapped back to him.

"Your temper plays a big part in our arguments," he returned, matching her glare for glare.

Damian watched with surprise as the girl's defenses wore off and she dissolved into tears.

"I've tried. I really have," she said as the big man put his arms around her.

'_Another boyfriend situation,'_ Damian thought quickly, _'but now I know her weakness.'_ Turning, he disappeared among the trees.

"Luke," Pixie said softly against his chest. "There was someone watching me earlier. I didn't like the feeling I got from it."

"I haven't seen anyone," Hydro replied.

"Maybe I'm just paranoid," she mumbled. Pulling Pixie up, Luke kissed her and turned her back towards the mansion. "Come on, we have a meeting in a little while." She nodded and he carried her away.

That night, Irona's thoughts kept wandering back to her time in the woods. "I know there was someone there," she muttered. Sensing movement, she jumped out of her bed. "Who's there? And why are you in _my_ room?" she questioned with anger.

"No need to worry," Damian said as he stopped in front of her.

Locking her gaze with his, Pixie felt herself becoming lost. Forcing herself to stay on track, she fought. "I don't know who you are, you should not be here," she stated as she tried to look away.

Noticing her resistence, he kept his eyes on hers. When she continued to fight his charms, he leaned down and kissed her with as much charm as he could. It took longer than the others, but he eventually won and, picking her up, placed her back in her bed. Looking down, he was amused by her spunk and smiled inwardly as he climbed back out of the window. "She'll be another challenge, but not much of one."

End chapter six. 7 The Offer coming shortly.


	7. The Offer

How! It's been a long time! well, might as well keep gong until we're finished.

And here we go again!

Silent Offender chapter seven: The Offer by: The Four Minds.

The next morning, Irona stalked into the sitting room to find the rest of the girls already seated. "I want to know who was in my room last night," she demanded briskly. "Do we have a new student that likes to terrorize ladies trying to sleep?"

"What are you talking about?" Morgana asked calmly as she gracefully stood up to retrieve her friend a drink.

"I'm talking about a guy with maroon eyes," Pixie supplied.

"You've seen him too?" the girls all asked in shocked unison. Turning to look around the room, they all became very serious.

"I guess that dream is contagious or something. He can't be real," Shadow said with a cautious look at the window. Before anything else could be said the guys poured in.

"Uh oh, we better leave, guys. We've interrupted gossip hour,"Luke joked as the other guys laughed and took seats.

"What were you ladies talking about? You seem sort of upset," Darian said sympathetically.

Quickly, Shadow shot a warning look to the other girls and replied, "Nothing important."

"You gals have been acting strange lately. Is there something the matter?" Quinn asked looking over the group with his ever watchful eyes. They all shook their heads no, but Alex didn't look convinced. Nor did Sean.

"We're fine, love," Morgana reassured him, and received a look from him asking her to explain when they could be alone. She didn't answer the unspoken question, but let it drop with one of her own. "What did you call us here for?"

Before Quinn could answer, there was a very manly scream followed by a string of heated Cajun words. Shadow's eyes widen before she bolted out of the room.

"Wonder what she's done now?" Dodger sighed. They all turned to see a very disgruntled Gambit walk through the door followed by Rogue.

"Will ya please tell meh what's wrong?" Rogue pleaded holding him by the shoulders. "Please?" Gambit took a deep breath and held a link chain bracelet out for her to examine. "Dis is what 'as you so upset? What's so bad about a bracelet with an "AG" on it?"

"Hey, Shadow was looking for a bracelet like that a couple days ago," Irona said interrupting their conversation. Gambit went pale. "I could give it back to her for you if you'd like."

"No, chere, dis be someting Gambit's got t'do himself. Jus tell Gambit where she went." The members of the Pack pointed down the hallway Shadow had dashed through only moments before. Gambit took a deep breath as if to calm himself and headed the same direction.

"Irona, can ya please tell meh what dis is about?" Rogue asked softly.

"Near as I can tell, Gambit found her Assassin's Guild bracelet somewhere and took it as a threat against his life," Irona answered.

Rogue raised an eyebrow at that. "What makes ya say dat?" she asked.

"Because," Irona went on, "That was what guild members did if they wanted to torture a marked man. It's saying 'Hey, you're in my sights' literately."

"How do you know that, Pix?" Luke asked intrigued.

"I was in the guild with her for a short time. Then she got exiled from the guild, and we met back up here."

"Another pair," Alex whispered to Morgana who was sitting on his lap, his arms wrapped round her. The rest of the group never heard.

"So you went after her to get her back, but got caught by Sinister instead," Illya deduced.

"Actually, I was sent to kill her, but got caught by Sinister, brainwashed by him, then instructed to capture, not kill, her instead," Irona explained calmly.

"Does she know about all of this? About what you were suppose to do?" Quinn asked, slightly stunned by this new bit of information.

"Oh, yeah. I told her as soon as my memory returned," the short woman said calmly. "She said it wasn't the first time someone had been sent out to kill her."

"So you two knew each other the whole time?" Both Luke and Darian asked in the same tone, "and you never told us?" Luke finished.

"We don't like to talk about it," she admitted. Suddenly, in the hallway where Gambit and Shadow had disappeared to was filled with so many phrases in French and Cajun, and was so heated that a person could have sworn the French Revolution had started again.

"I didn't know she knew French," Dodger whispered to Luke.

"Wonder what they're saying," he replied back.

"You don't want to know," Irona informed with a wary smile.

Shadow sat in the moonlight covering the roof, too angry right now to sleep. She couldn't believe that Gambit would even think that of her. Still, she shouldn't have lost her temper and called him a sniffling, inbred thief's guild street rat. Their conversation had went down hill from then on. She and Gambit were now far from on speaking terms. In fact, Shadow hadn't talked to anybody since the ordeal. She was sure that no one would see her side of the story and there was no way she was going to renew her ties to the guild. A tear rolled down her check. Just when things were looking up, something like this had to happen. Would anyone ever understand her and let her just be who she was? she wondered to herself, her head sinking onto her knees.

Suddenly, the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and Shadow knew she was being watched. She search the roof for the culprit, but to no avail. "Anyone out there?" she called meekly, surprised by the rattle in her voice. Behind her she heard a quiet chuckle. She instantly stood to face it, only there was nothing. She drew her daggers from the sheaths at her side.

"Who's out there?" She demanded, now in a fighting stance. The laughter came once again from behind her and again she turned to face it. However, as soon as she turned, two hands stole the blades from her hands in a blink of any eye. Shadow looked down to her empty hands in shock. She tried to back away, back toward her window, hoping for a quick retreat. But in the next instance she felt a cold arm grasp her around the waist and pull her into a tight grip. She tried to scream, but found her mouth already covered with the hand of her attacker. Whoever it was, they were good.

"Shh..."a deep voice whispered into her ear. "No one is here to hurt you, my little thief." The voice was very soothing and Shadow found herself calming down at once. "There now, that's better. If I let you go will you run away?" Shadow shook her head no, though she didn't plan on keeping still. The arm released her and she bolted the other direction. She made it about three steps before she ran straight into the figure again. "Now, now, where do you think you're going?" Two hands grabbed onto her wrists tightly, but not painfully, as she had expected. This time Shadow could dimly see the striking features of his face.

"Now what did I say about running?" he asked pulling her closer. All Shadow could do was gaze into his eyes the color of dried blood, and the longer she looked the more helpless she felt. He ran his free hand down her check. "My young little thief, you long to be free. These people here try to change you into something you're not. They hold you back from your full potential. They have you trapped here trying to turn you into some kind of house pet instead of the beautiful creature you truly are. Come with me, and run free like you were meant to." He leaned in closer to where his lips were almost touching hers. "What do you say?" he asked in a husky voice. "Are you ready to take off the leash?"

End chapter seven. 8, the chase, is next


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